1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an electronic service providing system. This invention particularly relates to a system for providing additional services to users when they make purchases at shops by use of mobile telephone sets or communication terminal devices. The shops include actual shops and on-line shops (cyber-shops) on the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
European patent application EP 0950968 corresponding to PCT application WO 99/09502 discloses a mobile electronic commerce system in which users have electronic wallets in mobile terminal devices capable of communicating with a service providing means by radio. Electronic tickets, electronic prepaid cards, and electronic telephone cards can be installed from the service providing means into the user's electronic wallets through radio communications between the service providing means and the terminal devices. The service providing means can be connected with suppliers of goods and services via a communication means. By using the cards and tickets, the users receive goods, services, and necessary permissions therefor from the suppliers. The users settle accounts by using their electronic wallets and communicating with terminal devices of the suppliers. The data of the settlement of the accounts are sent from the suppliers to the service providing means. The data of the settlement of the accounts are managed by the service providing means. Each of the cards and tickets has a portion to be shown to a supplier, a program portion for supporting transactions specific to the type of the card or ticket, and a certificate portion indicating that the card or ticket has been registered for use.
In the system of European application EP 0950968, each of shops, shopping malls, and negotiable-card companies gives service points (use points) to customers as its own service. Specifically, a customer receives use points when using a shop or a negotiable card. In the case where customer's use points reach a predetermined value, the customer can receive a prescribed service such as a discount or a premium.
In the system of European application EP 0950968, programs for generating the cards and tickets are absent from actual shops.
Therefore, it is difficult for the actual shops to see and manage the purchase histories of customers through the cards and tickets. As previously mentioned, the service providing means manages the data of the settlement of the accounts. Use-point giving services related to respective negotiable cards are independent of each other. Also, use-point giving services provided by respective shops are independent of each other. Thus, regarding each customer, received use points related to different negotiable cards or different shops can not be employed as the sum thereof. Accordingly, received use points related to each of different negotiable cards or different shops tends to be lower than a premium-qualification value for a long time.